SA Indpendent urges smelter upgrade

Geoff Brock one of two kingmakers who will decide which party forms a minority government in South Australia.
Photo: David Maruiz

by
Simon Evans

The South Australian election result remained on a knife-edge late on Tuesday after vote counting resumed, with the Liberal Party making minor headway in some seats, but a clear outcome appears days away.

The prospect of a hung parliament controlled by the independent MPs Geoff Brock and Bob Such is still the most likely outcome, but the Liberal Party crept closer in the Adelaide inner western suburbs seat of Ashford where it is still behind, while it extended its narrow lead in the seat of Mitchell in Adelaide’s southern suburbs.

The Liberal candidate in Mitchell, former Channel 10 television reporter Corey Wingard, said he was buoyed by the extra votes he picked up in counting on Tuesday. “I’m pleased to have picked up those votes, but there is a long way to go and it’s still very close,’’ he said.

Mr Brock said it was crucial that a $385 million upgrade of a lead and metals smelter owned by European metals group Nyrstar goes ahead in his Port Pirie home town.

Nyrstar is in talks with the federal and state governments about the upgrade, which received environmental approvals last December from the Labor Government. Nyrstar is yet to give the final go-ahead and a spokeswoman said on Tuesday an announcement would be made after the end of the March.

Mr Brock returned to Port Pirie on Tuesday for lunchtime meetings with chief executives of five local councils in his electorate. Port Pirie is about 220kms north of Adelaide, and Mr Brock drove back after meetings with Premier Jay Weatherill and Liberals leader Steven Marshall over the previous two days in Adelaide.

He says he will take into account the views of the five chief executives and their concerns about issues including roads, infrastructure and regional employment that were raised in the meetings on Tuesday.

The Electoral Commission of South Australia resumed counting of votes at around noon on Tuesday. The Liberal Party primary vote had inched ahead to 44.4 per cent late on Tuesday from 44.3 per cent at the start of the day. The Labor vote was steady at 36.7 per cent.

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The number of absentee votes was a record 183,000, up from 143,000 at the last election in 2010. There were also 71,000 pre-poll votes and 66,000 postal votes in 2014. A clear result may not be known until official distribution of preferences which happens this Sunday.

Strategists believe Mr Weatherill is still on course to win 23 seats and the Liberals expected to win 22.

Mr Brock and fellow Independent MP Bob Such say they need a clear result before deciding which party to support in the 47-seat Lower House.

But the minor gains made by the Liberal Party on Tuesday has tightened the contest.

Mr Brock, 64, is a former Lord Mayor of Port Pirie who won his seat of Frome in a by-election in 2009 and has a strong local following.

Earlier in his career he worked at the Port Pirie lead smelter for 30 years, starting as a labourer before rising to become a contract manager.

Mr Weatherill’s Labor Government gave environmental approvals for the upgrade in December, 2013 subject to Nyrstar complying with 12 conditions related to the construction and operation of the plant.

Mr Brock said the smelter is crucial to the local economy.

“It has to be there,’’ Mr Brock said.

The federal government’s Export Finance and Insurance Corporation is underwriting $183 million of the upgrade cost.

The smelter employs more than 700 people directly and 130 contractors.

Under the Labor Government’s approval conditions, Nyrstar must start work on the redevelopment within two years, and finish it within five years.